The gravitational pull of the Randstad

Infographic | 29-05-2016

The Netherlands is a densely populated country, and the Randstad is the most densely populated part of it. Almost half of the entire population lives in North Holland, South Holland, Utrecht and Flevoland, even though these provinces only comprise one quarter of the country’s surface area. The Randstad’s population is currently growing faster than elsewhere in the country, as it has in the past and most likely will do in the future.

In the period 2006–2010 the Randstad grew by 225,000 people, 70% of which can be attributed to natural growth. Immigration also plays an important role; approximately 15% of the population increase came was from abroad and 10% from other areas in the Netherlands. The share of foreign immigrants is smaller than it has been in the past, and domestic migration has become more pronounced. Many of these domestic newcomers originate from the southern part of the country.

Source data

This infographic on population growth and migration flows per region is based on data provided by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The future projection is based on calculations by PBL and CBS (2013).

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